Beast
by Arylwren
Summary: A classical fairytale with a digital twist. Prince Takeru tells a "little white lie" and gets cursed for his troubles.
1. So It Begins

I don't own Digimon nor do I own the original "Beauty and the Beast". Warning to my readers: this is _not _the Disney version of the story. There will be no magical roses, no talking teapots, no lions dressed in flowery waistcoats and no dancing candlesticks. Enjoy!

**So It Begins**

Prince Takeru Takaishi strolled to the royal gardens slowly, perfectly aware of the giggling girls that were ogling at him from the other side of the hedge; the heady perfume of the roses hung thickly in the air, their sweet cloying scent clinging onto everything. He smiled, a polished expression calculated to make any female heart stop and ran his hand through his carefully arranged hair. 

He grinned at his older brother Yamato Ishida, the Crown Prince, who was sitting under a nearby tree, artfully strumming a lyre. The clear notes hung in the still air, unmoving, as there wasn't even the slightest zephyr to help with the noonday heat. Yamato, too, had a cluster of simpering females standing by, hanging on his every word, or rather, note. The brothers exchanged a grin and a wink, and Yamato went back to his music, pointedly ignoring the girls seated around him. The corner of TK's mouth twitched as he suppressed a smile, and he turned to walk back to the palace.

To his surprise, he found his path blocked by a girl. He brown hair was pulled back messily and stuck out like a bush that badly needed trimming; she was tall and lank; she was more his brother's age than his own. He searched his memory for a name…Jane? Jordan? Then he remembered: Jun Motomiya, the eldest daughter of a duke. She had a younger brother his age if he remembered correctly, Daisuke. Their father was the duke of the Silver Lake duchy, making their family one of the oldest families in the kingdom; it was also known for beautiful women, although that particular trait seemed to have passed Jun over. There were rumors that Jun dabbled in the dark arts, but Takeru never really paid much attention to rumors. He silently wondered to himself what she was doing; after all, she had been hot on his brother's tail for the past few months. "Prince TK" she purred, grinning like a Cheshire cat. 

TK gave her a look of disgust and tried to go around her, but to no avail; he found his path blocked again and again. "Yes, Lady Jun?" he finally asked, practically choking on her title, knowing that she wouldn't let him pass until she had her say.   

"I was wondering…" she started as she twirled a loose strand of hair around a finger in attempt, no doubt, to appear flirtatious; however, her plan fell short of her intentions as TK tried not to turn away in disgust.

"Yes?" TK asked impatiently, wanting to get away.

"What does Yamato think of me?" she asked, trying to sound innocent.                

TK raised an eyebrow. _He thinks you're a disgusting, simpering fool. Furthermore, he has confided to me that he would be a perfectly happy man if he never had to see you again._ Instead of saying what he was thinking, Takeru put on his most charming smile and winked at her, "You, milady? He believes you to be one of the most exquisite flowers at court, of course."            

TK lavished praise upon praise on her, hoping flattery will buy his escape –never mind what his brother's going to think of this exchange. _Matt is going to kill me when he finds out about this._

Finally, half an hour later, Lady Jun decided to go hunt her prey in person as TK convinced her that Matt was crazy about her but just need some…encouragement. TK ran towards the palace, hoping to find somewhere nice and cool to hide when his brother came hunting for him.  

~*~*~

A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Critiques? Please review!


	2. The Curse

If Digimon was mine, the ending to Season 2 would have never made it to the air and all the characters from 01 and 02 would have stayed. But, that obviously didn't happen.

The Curse 

            "Hello Yamato," said Jun as she promptly sat down on the bench beside him, batting her eyes outrageously. 

Matt was in no mood for Jun's games. _Damn, if only her father wasn't some hotshot duke, I'd tell her what I really think of her._ However, Jun's father was the Duke of Silver Lake, so Matt just gave her a cold smile. He bent over and kissed her hand, trying hard not to gag. "What brings you outside on such a hot day?"

Matt sighed inwardly and put on his best face, wishing that she would for once, just go away. "I just thought you'd like some company…" she replied, not looking at him, but rather at her fingers which were tracing circles on his leg. When she finally looked up at him, he saw her eyes were hot with desire.

Matt shifted uncomfortably and suddenly got up. "Lady Jun, as…lovely as you are. I have to say that I'm not interested."

With that, he left as Jun sat there, speechless. The girls watching the scene from a few feet away giggled and quickly turned away, averting their stares as she shot them dark looks. She watched him walk back to the palace without once turning back and her eyes burned again, this time with rage.  

~*~*~

"He lied to me," she hissed, "the little blond lied."

Lady Jun paced back and forth in her room, her heart burning for revenge against the one who had brought her to her shame, her rejection. "I'll get you…just watch," she whispered to the darkness, "I'll get you for this."

~*~*~

"YOU WHAT?!?!?" screamed his brother in disbelief.

TK tried to grin lightheartedly but failed miserably. "It's not that big of a deal, Yama…she'll get over it."

Matt, however, was not reassured. "Do you have any idea what kind of…what kind of person she is?" he spluttered, "She won't get over it. She'll be after me for the rest of my life! You've heard the rumors…what if...what if…"

He stopped there, not wanting to finish that thought. TK put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If she curses anyone, it'll probably be me."

Matt looked into a pair of blue eyes that mirrored his own. "I know," he said softly, "That's what I'm afraid of."

~*~*~

_Another ball. I hate them. It's bad enough I have wear all this formal clothing, complete with royal trappings; I feel as if Matt and I are on show for any eligible girl in the kingdom._

            With a sigh, Takeru slipped outside into the rose garden again. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be away from the pressing, demanding crowds. Outside, the stars gently shone and the moon bathed the flowers in a molten beam of silver. The scent of the roses, so cloying in the daytime under the burning sun, was now refreshingly cool and gentle. The sweet perfume colored the night air with a fragrance that soothed his soul. His father had been puzzled when he had asked for a rose garden a few years ago for his birthday. Only his mother understood.

His musings were interrupted by a dark shadow covering the moon. All the light in the garden seemed to go out all at once. Takeru frowned and reached for the sword by his side, only to find it missing: he had taken it off for the ball. He cursed under his breath and scanned the leafy garden for any signs of an intruder but there were too many shadows to see clearly.

"No need to look for me," a dark voice came from behind him.

TK swirled to see the lady Jun behind him, smiling sinisterly, clad in a black robe darker than the darkest of skies. "What do you want?" he demanded with false bravado, trying to keep himself from betraying his fear.

            Jun smiled again, an expression of pure malice. _This is almost too easy._

"What do I want?" she asked mockingly, "I'll tell you what I want. I want you to suffer! You made me look like a fool! Well, two can play at that game."

He shivered, not from the cool evening breeze, but from the coldness that seemed to emanate from her. Jun continued, "As a prince, you've been pampered. Your looks and lineage have guaranteed life handed over to you on a silver platter. Well, no more! You hear? NO MORE!"

Thunder and lighting crashed with ferocity but not a drop of rain fell. The sky, so clear and glorious just moments before was now covered with a blanket of swirling black clouds. The nexus of the storm seemed to form right above where Jun was standing. "Rejection, pain and anguish: you'll learn about them all very, very soon." 

With that, she was gone. Takeru felt himself drop to the ground as darkness overwhelmed him. Then, nothing. 

~*~*~

A/N: Because you're all such wonderful people, you're going to click on the button labeled review…right?


	3. Awakening

Please insert your standard disclaimer here, as I'm too tired to make one up. Awakening 

            When TK next opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. He found himself in the far corner of the garden, in a niche concealed in the shadows of a myriad of blooming rose bushes. He could hear the light, high-pitched tittering of some of the lady courtiers coming from the direction of the palace. He wanted to get up, but found his body strangely heavy so that he could hardly raise his head. As he lied there, the buzzing of bugs around him intensified; with an annoyed grimace, TK offhandedly switched at them with his tail. 

His tail? With a startled look of surprise, he stared at the long tail ending in a handful of bushy brown hair, whipping back and forth in an attempt to rid the air of insects. Before he had a chance to process this, the sound of footsteps and rustling bushes sounded someone's arrival.

The bushes parted to reveal Jun. TK heard a deep rumble of hatred and realized with shock that it was coming from him. Jun stared at him for a moment and then laughed softly. "I see my little beast is awake."

TK tried to say something, but all that would come out was another growl. This only seemed to amuse Jun more. "Trying to say something?" she asked mockingly, "You must be trying to compliment me for the good job I've done with your new body. I must say, you make a most magnificent lion."

_A lion? _TK grunted with effort as he rolled to his feet. A cursory look over his back at the rest of his body confirmed her words. TK felt his heart sink as he felt the realization sink in, his mind in shock. Jun smirked in vicious victory, "Speechless, my dear? What a loss…not that you had anything interesting to say anyway."

TK lunged and attempted to swipe his claws at her; unfortunately, he wasn't used to his body yet and only managed to shred part of her dress. Jun's smile immediately vanished, "You naughty, naughty little cat. I'll teach you to mess with me."

Jun whispered something and then clenched her fist hard. TK felt bolts of pain shoot through his body. He sank to the ground, his whole body shaking as he clenched his teeth in order not to give Jun the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. Jun, unsatisfied with his tacit response, narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist even tighter. The pain increased, leaving TK in a white daze, unable to tell consciousness from unconsciousness. All he knew was the pain. Finally, he whimpered softly and it immediately stopped. He lied on the ground, unmoving with his body aching and his eyes burning with tears of shame. Jun stood gloatingly above him, knowing she had won.

After what seemed like an eternity later, TK unsteadily rose to his feet and met Jun's eyes with his own. He blinked back in shock, caught surprised by their icy malevolence; he had expected no kindness or even compassion, but he had not thought her as evil as this. Beast and sorceress stood there wordlessly, staring, each meeting the challenge they saw in each other's eyes. The rustling of a bush nearby broke their stare. "Well, it seems my dear prince, that I have to go soon. Don't think I won't leave your presence without presenting you with a gift though. You're much too pretty to be wasted in that form forever," she said with a sardonic smile.

TK's heart rose in hope, wondering what Jun could have possibly planned. However, his hopes were dashed as she continued,  "Princes deserve dedication, don't you think? If you can find a woman dedicated enough to you, willing to love you…even in _that_ form, my curse will be lifted."

She laughed again, a harsh sound full of spite. "Until then, beast, adieu."

With that, she was gone. TK stood there by himself, hearing the echo of her words resound in his ears. From the tone of her voice, she didn't expect it ever to happen. He didn't either. He was damned to forever remain as a beast, exiled from only life he's ever known. TK closed his eyes and roared, a sound full of anguish, rage and sorrow.

~*~*~

A/N: Please review and tell me how I'm doing! 


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